Taking Stock: The Theatre of Max Stafford-Clark

Inside accounts of the making of some of the most influential theatre productions of the last four decades. Max Stafford-Clark has been at the cutting edge of theatre in Britain for more than thirty years. Taking Stock draws on diaries, photos and interviews to recreate the evolution of nine of his most famous and influential productions: Fanshen by David Hare Epsom Downs by Howard Brenton Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill Rita, Sue and Bob Too by Andrea Dunbar Serious Money by Caryl Churchill Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker The Steward of Christendom by Sebastian Barry Some Explicit Polaroids by Mark Ravenhill Macbeth by William Shakespeare The result is one of the richest, most intimately informative books on the making of theatre. 'a rare opportunity to get inside the mind of one of British theatre's most original practitioners... a fascinating view of an incredibly diverse body of work' - British Theatre Guide 'a splendid portrait of the vicissitudes of the collective life' - Times Literary Supplement 'fascinating... By pioneering the workshop method of rehearsal, where actors and director all contribute ideas before sending the playwright off to pen the text, Stafford-Clark made a major innovation in the evolution of British drama... He also tells a good story' - Aleks Sierz Independent 'a terrific read... an absolute treasure trove of insights, tips, reminiscences and lessons in the 'process' of how a new play comes into the world' - Rogues and Vagabonds

Max Stafford-Clark is one of the UK's most influential theatre directors. He established Joint Stock in 1974, ran the Royal Court Theatre from 1979 to 1993, and then set up the extremely successful touring theatre company, Out of Joint, which he continues to run.